JANUARY 18
Genesis 37-38
Genesis 37
Jesus commanded
His disciples to “see the log” in their own eyes because of the consequences
that personal blindness has in making disciples. In a family that's important
too. Today we find Jacob repeating behavior in his family, that his parents,
Isaac and Rebekah, were also guilty of: favoritism. This story might also shed
some light on Reuben’s dark behavior.
Vs. 1-4 Notice
Joseph's age. He would have been a baby, maybe less than one, when they entered
Canaan. Now 17 years have passed. This would put Reuben's age between 28 and
30.
Notice also
that Joseph is with the sons of the maids, not the sons of Leah.
Here is little
Joseph, the snitch. He is openly honored and favored by Jacob, who let it be
known that he loved Joe more than the others. Joe was probably protected, given
a cool robe, and now, after 17 years of this, there is huge animosity toward
him. What a neat place to grow up. What a nurturing environment. The stage is
set for a disaster.
Vs. 5-11 Into
this “accident waiting to happen,” God interjects two dreams, the second one
actually gets Jacob mad. Notice that Jacob refers to your mother, meaning Leah. Rachel had died by this time. Leah was
the leading lady, and Jacob later says that she was buried in the family burial
site, a place of honor.
Vs. 8 and 11 show
that God used the poor family dynamics to His advantage. God's plan was to put
Joe in Egypt, and in doing so He revealed and catalyzed the evil of the
brothers. There are a lot of things going on here, from which God will bring
good, but it will be a long process. Later, God will use all their hatred to
convict them.
Vs. 12-24 So
what was Jacob thinking by sending Joe to check up on the brothers? Jacob was
"out to lunch" when it came to understanding his family.
V. 18 It’s
amazing that the brothers had no hesitation to want to kill Joseph. While this
might reflect the hell on earth Jacob allowed his life and family to become,
these were adult sons who could have forged their own relationships with God.
V. 19 This
gives me the sense that the dreams had recently occurred, so their anger and
jealousy were still hot.
V. 22 Reuben
has a secret plot to free Joseph, but leaves to do something. Notice that
Reuben's plan is through trickery. He was Jacob's son.
Vs. 25-28 Once
they had Joe in the hole, they were so happy, that they had lunch. Probably if
Joe yelled too loud they threw the occasional rock in the hole.
Vs. 26-27 It is
good to pay attention to Judah's words. He is being less than noble here, but
he is honest. He saves Joseph and he saves his brothers from murder and
bloodguilt. This is the only good thing we've seen any of Jacob's children do
so far. In doing this, Judah shows them how they can get some “cash for the
trash.” The brothers probably all bought iPads from the Midianite traders.
One note of
interest is the mention of these Midianites (from one of Abe's sons) being
Ishmaelites (Abe's first son). It could be that Jacob's sons referred to all of
Abe's other descendants as Ishmaelites, or it could be that the descendants of
Ishmael and Midian began mixing together. In the history of Israel there is
very little mention of Ishmael's descendants, but the Midianites play a major
role in many events.
Vs. 29-30
First, Reuben's "trick" backfired. As the firstborn, Reuben should
have openly stood against his brothers. They showed him who was boss.
Vs. 31-35 How
amazingly sad this is. Jacob the trickster is wounded by his sons. And what an
evil trick. They held this secret for years, watching their father suffer under
their lie. And we don't know it yet, but holding the lie was rotting their
souls. Later when Jacob learns Joe is alive, it says that Jacob’s spirit
revived. That means that here his “spirit” “died.”
The result and
judgment of Jacob's trickery is complete, but it has permeated the entire
family. And don't think that Joseph was free from this influence in his heart.
I have a feeling that the next 13 years will be hard, "cleansing"
years for Joe.
Certain aspects
of this story are suggestive of Jesus, being rejected by his brethren, being
sold, becoming their salvation. It is interesting that it was Judah who did
this. Jesus comes from his lineage. Judah will also play a role later in this
story. We'll see that Jacob rejects Reuben’s offer to help, but accepts Judah’s
offer. There is something good about Judah, that in the midst of this
dysfunction, we don’t see yet.
As disciples,
there is something about this story that is important to see regarding God’s
sovereignty and man’s sin. This complete family catastrophe was not God’s
doing, but He used it in all its complexities and misunderstandings. God often
uses disharmony and malfunction to help us. We look at this story and
understand that God was going to use Joseph to save the family and eventually
grow the nation in Egypt, but do we see that God was protecting and preparing
Joseph? Joseph was also a problem and a chip off the old “Jacob” block. God had
to get Joseph out of that family to mold him through the trials of captivity and
injustice. I don’t think there was a plan “B” in making Joseph the man he
became, and he might not have been that man any other way. Also, it is usually
recognized that being sold into slavery saved Joseph from the effects of
Canaan’s sexually saturated culture and idolatry.
A couple years
after one ministry malfunction I had in Germany, I realized that one of the
“blessings” of this malfunction was that it created distance between our kids
and a potentially devastating influence in the church. Not all relational
malfunctions are bad, even if we don't understand them at the time. We have to
trust God's wisdom.
This is all to
say that when we see what happens in our lives or the lives of others, we
shouldn’t automatically feel defeat if there is failure or disharmony, or if
hard events intervene. Just as in Romans 8:28, our confidence as disciples
making disciples is that God uses everything in our lives as we love Him, even
our deaths, for His good and His glory.
Genesis 38: The
Adventures of Judah
So, why is this
chapter here? We don’t yet know that Judah will be anyone important, but he
gets a whole chapter. Some suggest that this chapter shows the sexually
saturated culture and influence that Joseph was “saved” from. Possibly. The
chapter definitely shows God’s sovereignty in preparing the line of Christ. If
you put all of the time together of all these events, this is happening at the
same time and during all of the years of Joseph's servitude, imprisonment and
rise to power (20+ years). It could be that this event with Tamar and the birth
of the babies happened shortly before Judah and the others went to Egypt to buy
grain. Perez had to have been born before they all went to Egypt. I say this
because the chapter begins after Joseph is sold and this event occurs after
Shelah was grown and able to enter into a sexual relationship (16-19 years
old?) with Tamar to bear children for his brother Er. Then you have the birth
of the babies. So, this chapter must encompass at least 20 years if not more.
Vs. 1-11 This
sets the stage for what is about to happen.
V. 7 It is
interesting that God took the initiative on this. The wonder is that He doesn't
do this more often. Since all of us are guilty before Him, He could use His
right to punish us quickly like this at any time. In Romans He says it is
because of His mercy and wisdom, using even the rebellious for His purpose and
glory.
Notice that the
social “law,” regarding continuing the lineage of the dead man, was already in
place before the giving of the law. Created in the image of God, man creates
order, imitating the order of the Creator.
Vs. 8-9
Remember why Onan does this here when we get to the story of Ruth. It will help
you understand why the near kinsman will not take Ruth. Boaz gets Ruth.
Judah was
either a bad dad, or the power of the culture ruined the boys, or both. His
first two sons were evil and God put them to death. Tamar became the “black
widow” in Judah's mind and so he holds back giving her his last son. Obviously
there is not a sense in any of this of anyone going to God and asking Him for
advice. Everyone was just doing what seemed right in their own eyes.
V. 11 Now,
Tamar’s action was interesting. At this point in Jacob’s family, the promise to
Abraham has been lost from view. There is no sense of anyone pursuing it. At
least Jacob had pursued it. It may have been that Tamar realized Judah was next
in line to receive the blessing of the firstborn. I don’t know. It might also have
been that the promise was why Judah didn’t want to give Shelah, his last son,
to “the black widow.”
All we know is
that the line of the promise continues through Judah, and this story is somehow
important. My guess is that the promise, somehow, figures into the actions of
both Judah and Tamar.
Vs. 12-23 This
was a very dangerous thing for Tamar to do. In a roundabout way this was legal
and right, because Judah should have made provision for the continuance of his
son's family and for children for the widow. That Tamar did this means she was
pursuing what was right, even though it was wrong. And to think that God will
use this.
Vs. 24-26 So,
what do you see in Judah that makes him a better man than his brothers? In v.
26 you see two things. First, Judah admits guilt and declares he was wrong and
she was right. Have you seen that anywhere in Jacob's family? Jacob never did
it. Reuben, Simeon and Levi never said they were wrong. Judah publicly
testifies to his wrong and clears Tamar. Second, Judah never has sex with her
again, which was another way of acknowledging his sin and respecting the
relationship before the Lord. This doesn't look like much, but it is the first
glimmer of anything from this dysfunctional family. In a few chapters Judah
will shine.
Vs. 27-30 How
do you know this is the line of the promise? Because something weird is
happening regarding the conception and birth. At least that has been the case
so far. In Genesis 46:12, the sons are not listed as Er’s; they are Judah’s.
This is the line of the promise that flows to David and then to Jesus via
Perez.
For us as
disciples there is a lot here and for me it boils down to pursuing the promise
and trusting God. The world may look random and out of control around us, but
God is working. As for us, we are to stay in the Word, loving and following our
Lord in the harvest, reaching the lost and making disciples, who make
disciples. And sometimes we get to see how God uses all the chaos for His own
glory.
Matthew 12:22-45
This is a major
confrontation and shows what the religious leaders finally came up with to “explain”
and discredit Jesus. Although the situation looks like any other conflict Jesus
had with the religious leaders, this lie about Jesus' power would begin to
infect many of the people in Israel.
Vs. 22-24 The
scribes (lawyers who decided the meaning of the law and laid out rules for
obeying the law) were also a part of this. In Mark 3:22 they went on record as
saying Jesus was possessed by Beelzebul.
Vs. 25-32 This
is actually a very serious talk that Jesus gives them.
For us as
disciples, what I find interesting is that Jesus was very relaxed in dealing
with this accusation. Mark 3:23 says that when Jesus heard this, He called them
to Him and tried to show them the silliness of their logic. We disciples need
to have that same relaxed sense of hearing what is being said, and then seeking
to give the other side of the story, firmly, with meekness, humility and a
smile. In 2000 years, Christianity has not crumbled in the face of “facts” and
“accusation.” We need to be confident in God.
I tend to
define the sin against the Holy Spirit very narrowly. You actually had to be
there, hear Jesus, see Jesus do a miracle, and then say, “He is possessed,
because that miracle was of the devil,” to have committed the unpardonable sin.
I don’t think we can commit this sin today.
Vs. 33-37 This
was a challenge and an accusation aimed at the religious leaders, who put on a
“front” of being good, but were really evil within. The real challenge here is
that God is keeping track of what we say and, if needed, will prove by our
words that He is just.
Vs. 38-42
Apparently the desire to see a sign was not honest. Jesus’ words are,
accordingly, hard.
Vs. 43-45 The
description of the unclean spirit, I think, is real. Jesus is telling us
something that happens in reality. However, the real point of the story is that
if you just clean up morally, but don’t put something in place of the evil that
was there, the evil returns worse than before.
Jesus’ presence
drove back the spiritual forces, and many people were cured. Nationally it was
a good time. But the warning was, “if nothing takes the place of what went
out;” that is, if they didn't accept Jesus as their Messiah, “what happens next
will be worse.” The evil of that generation would return with a vengeance once
Jesus was gone.
Notice that by
bringing with it other, more evil, spirits, it was making sure it couldn’t be
driven out again.
As disciples,
we don’t offer people restored marriages or personal order, etc., as important
as those things might be. We offer people the ability to be forgiven and have
God enter their lives. He saves them and breaks the power of sin and leads
them. Anything less is just cleaning the house, not filling it with the Savior.
Psalm 16
David wrote
most of the psalms after running from Saul and being in constant danger. As
disciples, it may not be until we are put down for trying to live for Christ
and making disciples, that we will appreciate what David and the Spirit have
written here.
Vs. 1-2 David
had been poor and then successful and rich; and now he was desperate, poor and
living on the land. It takes a lot to finally bring a person to the reality of
v. 2. This is easy to say, but to mean it is priceless.
Vs. 3-4 Here is
a contrast. David had come to appreciate those who loved the Lord, simple and
poor though they might be. David had had friends in high places, who were all
against him now. As David saw them living in darkness and rebelling against
God, he understood that they were really deepening the sorrow of their own
lives. David had probably worshiped with these people. Now he understood their
hearts and knew their devotion was false.
Vs. 5-6 These
verses take on a deeper meaning if David wrote them in the wilderness. This
reminds me of Paul's words in Philippians 4:12-13, I know how to be brought low, and I know how to abound. In any and
every circumstance, I have learned the secret of facing plenty and hunger,
abundance and need. I can do all things through him who strengthens me. I
think this is why the Lord often leads His disciples into the wilderness in the
harvest. That is where we learn this.
Vs. 7-8 Imagine
David living day-to-day leading 400 men and their families in the wilderness of
Judah and southern Israel. What a place to learn the amazing guidance of the
Lord and to find His security in insecurity.
Vs. 9-10 What a
place to find gladness, joy and security. Verse 10 is quoted by Peter in Acts
2:27 in his Pentecost sermon. Jesus is risen! That is the basis of our security
and hope as followers of our Lord.
V. 11 The Lord
drove David into exile. There (like Joseph) He made David learn and know the
path of life, the joy of God's presence and what true pleasures are. Amen.
For me, vs. 2
and 5 have the deepest meaning. As disciples, what do we really want? In John
4:34, Jesus said, My food is to do the will
of him who sent me and to accomplish his work. All of what I really want in this life, or
want to see before I leave this place, is in Christ, “to do the will of Him who
sent (I’d substitute “saved” for “sent”) me, and to accomplish His work.” It
all boils down to Jesus, following Him in the harvest and being blessed to see
the salvation of the lost and to see people made disciples, who make disciples,
who make disciples.
Proverbs 3:27-32
Vs. 27-28 Two
years ago the Lord really hit me with these verses, to give aid to people
immediately. So, for this reason, I always carry cash to give out if I sense
someone needs it.
Vs. 29-30…especially
when driving or talking to someone in lower management who didn’t make the
decision we're mad about.
Vs. 31-32 As
disciples we often envy the “decisive person of action,” but God can use all
kinds. None of Jacob’s cleverness really helped him. We don’t have to take
assertiveness training to be better disciples. We need to fall deeper in love
with Jesus and dare to share His story and make disciples.
It was a scared
Sunday school teacher who finally overcame his fear and walked into a shoe
store and shared the gospel with a shoe salesman who had been attending his
class. That salesman was saved and he walked away from shoes to save souls. D. L.
Moody’s life was changed forever, and the Lord used him to change countless
other people. All because of a timid Sunday school teacher. God uses all kinds,
so we don’t need to envy anyone. We just need to follow Jesus as disciples.
If you’re reading along
and don’t have a One Year Bible, click on this link http://oneyearbibleonline.com/weekly-one-year-readings/?version=47&startmmdd=0101. This
version is set to the ESV but you can reset this to a different version or
different language.
I'm writing these
comments to and for those who are following a One Year Bible and interested in
growing deeper as a disciple, following Jesus in the harvest. My hope is to see
the growth of a discipleship culture in the church. Groups of 3-4 disciples,
meeting weekly, encouraging each other to follow Christ and work to reach out
and make disciples who make disciples. The Bible itself is the most universal
manual we have and key to our growth and service in Christ. Nothing keeps us
more focused on why we are here or what we are to be doing. My comments are
only meant to provide some explanation of the events or to show the flow of
God's plan of redemption. My comments are in no way exhaustive, but are
designed to keep us focused on Christ and our role in His harvest. My hope is
that the people in these groups will grow in Christ and be willing, after a
year, to find 3 others to meet with and encourage in their growth as disciples,
disciples making disciples in the harvest.
If you would like a
complete description of this model of being and making disciples you can find
it in my book: Simply Disciples*Making Disciples.
http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B011WJIDQA?*Version*=1&*entries*=0
If you would like a more
descriptive commentary that is still readable and concise, I'd recommend the
Bible Knowledge Commentary. It's keyed to the NIV, so the result is the
commentators are constantly telling you what the Greek or Hebrew is. That never
hurts.
I am not endorsing any
particular One Year Bible; in fact, I read something you don't, die revidierte
Lutherbibel 1984.
Anyone reading along with
us is welcome to do so and is encouraged to take their own notes and make their
own observations. If the comments made do not agree with your particular
tradition or understanding, that's OK. Nothing I've written is meant to
criticize any point of view, but only to express the truth of what God has
written to us, as I understand it. Send comments or feedback to dgkachikis@gmail.com.
If you would like
documents containing an entire month of the Reading Notes, go to https://sites.google.com/site/dlkachikis/reading-notes. You can download these to use on your computer or to
print.
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